Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to packaging to ship hazardous materials. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to packaging to ship radioactive material and radioactive liquids.
In the field of hazardous material transport, the packaging used for transport must comply with strict international and national regulations. For instance, a Department of Transportation (“DOT”) 7A Type A package must be used to ship radioactive liquids. Such shipped packages must comply with the DOT regulations for Hazardous Materials, of which 49 C.F.R. §§ 100–178 are herein incorporated by reference. Packages used for transport of hazardous materials by plane must comply with the International Air Transport Association (“IATA”) Dangerous Goods Regulations (“DGR”), of which Sections 5, 6, and 10 are herein incorporated by reference. Consequently, a packaging design was necessary that complied with both sets of hazardous material transport regulations.
The only currently available packaging qualified to ship radioactive liquids up to an A2 quantity is known as a “bean pot,” and will only hold one liter of liquid. The shipping costs to ship large quantities of samples needing analysis, one sample bottle at a time, can be prohibitive. Additionally, many samples can be taken in very radioactively contaminated environments, and/or need to be analyzed for organic content, so they must be sealed at the time of capture to preserve all of the constituents for accurate analysis. Consequently, a new packaging design was necessary that would accommodate shipping multiple sample containers in one packaging.
Often, the samples needing analysis contain multiple hazardous materials from more than one hazard class. This necessitates that the package being used meet the requirements for all hazards being shipped. For example, the IATA DGR and DOT regulations for the transport of radioactive materials require the packaging to withstand various tests, including: a water spray test, a free drop test, a stacking test, an internal pressure test, and a penetration test.